One requirement for efficient bartending is that the bartender dispense drinks with speed and accuracy. Speed is necessary so that everyone gets served promptly. Accurate portion control, particularly the accurate measurement of the alcoholic beverage served with each drink, is critical to the maintenance of a reasonable profit.
One way to achieve these objectives is by the use of a conventional beverage dispensing gun in making mixed drinks. The gun is connected to a number of beverages so that different drinks can be made using the same beverage gun. Some guns use simple on-off switches to control the flow of beverages, including alcoholic beverages and mixers, such as club soda or water. With such guns the amount needed is determined by how long the switch is depressed. The operator thus controls the amount with this type of gun.
With other beverage dispensing guns the amount discharged is automatically metered for enhanced portion control. However, these guns have proven less than totally satisfactory in operation. One problem, aside from the proper metering of the beverage, is that the electrical switches housed within the beverage gun are subjected to a wet environment, which is very detrimental to proper operation.
Another drawback with the prior art beverage dispensing guns is that the number of beverages which can be accommodated is limited by the size of the individual liquid lines connecting the beverage sources to the nozzle. The hose connecting the beverage gun to the beverage sources must necessarily be relatively small diameter to permit proper flexibility and to keep the hose from becoming too large and unwieldy. However, there is a tradeoff between the diameter of the liquid lines and the speed of discharge of the beverage and resulting splash. It is desired that the beverage be dispensed as rapidly as possible to increase the speed at which drinks can be made. However, increasing the speed of beverage discharge increases splash which also must be minimized. Therefore, the number of different beverages carried by a single prior art beverage gun is limited because the individual liquid lines connected to the gun each must have a sufficiently large diameter to keep the liquid speed to a reasonable level.
Another problem with prior art beverage dispensing guns arises because of the dark environment found in a typical bar. Because of the dim lighting conditions, the indicia on various selector buttons depressed by the operator to select the individual beverages are often obscure which adds to the chance of making mistakes.
Another shortcoming of prior art beverage dispensing guns arises form the different operational requirements of different users. For example, in some jurisdictions separate beverage conduits must be maintained for each different alcoholic beverage; some users require the ability to dispense a number of soft drinks from the same beverage dispensing gun used for alcoholic beverages. Because of these different requirements, different models of beverage dispensing guns must be made and stocked by the manufacturer. This is a great additional expense, both from the standpoint of manufacturing and inventory maintenance.